From House History to Family History

Schwein house

Last night I had the pleasure of presenting to one of the German Special Interest genealogy groups at their monthly meeting in Kirkwood. I was asked to discuss how to research the history of your (or an ancestor's) home, writing family history and publishing your book. A tall order, but I actually managed to make that happen in my hour long talk. It was great to have an opportunity to speak to genealogists because I was essentially preaching to the choir. They already are familiar with many of the records I was discussing, so that makes things a lot easier. I just encouraged them to look at the records in a different light. It also meant they had helpful suggestions to share with the group of 25 souls who braved the extreme cold to come to the meeting. An added bonus was that I was able to include the photos of my ancestor's home in Steinweiler, Germany along with the house history that had been prepared for me when I visited there in September. It was fun to have so many of my worlds come together in one place!